


Bats & Noble

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 13:39:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8491927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: Stately Wayne Manor's newest resident is having a hard time adjusting to his new surroundings.





	

Bats & Noble

 

“Good evening, Master Bruce.”

Bruce handed off his briefcase and sighed as he closed the front door to his ancestral home.  It had been a busy week, and he was glad to be home.

“Hi, Alfred.  I can’t tell you how glad I am that this week is over.”

Alfred set aside the briefcase, to be taken to Bruce’s study later, and said, “Oh?  Did something new happen this week?”

Bruce nodded, “You remember I was talking about the telecommunications merger that was planned for the end of the year?”

“I remember you mentioning something to that effect, sir.”

Bruce handed over his suit jacket and said, “Well, I received a call from their CEO today.  They want to accelerate the merger.  They haven’t given us a reason why yet, but we are moving plans ahead to get the deal done.  I didn’t even want to start this deal until November.  They want to complete it before the end of August.”

Alfred smoothed a wrinkle in the coat with his hand and said, “You have succeeded with tight deadlines before, Master Bruce.  I see no reason why you won’t this time.”

“Neither do I, Alfred,” Bruce stated.  “I’m not worried about this deal falling through.  We want to work together.  This may be the easiest negotiation the company has ever had.  It just means moving the right people into place to get this done.  The negotiation isn’t the problem, it’s the timing, and finding the available staff that I feel comfortable with handling this.  I had a team ready to work on this merger, but they are on other projects right now and won’t be available until after the new deadline.”

Alfred smiled, “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, but that can all wait until Monday.  It is the weekend, and you have earned your rest.  I’m certain you can come up with better things to do for the next two days than think about work.”

Bruce looked around the entryway with a concerned look growing on his face.  “You’re right, I have something far more interesting to look after, or, someone.  Where’s Dick?”

The manor’s newest resident was nowhere to be seen.  Even though the youth had only been living in his home for just short of a month, Bruce had gotten used to the smiling young face greeting him when he got home from work.  _I never thought parenthood was in the cards for me,_ Bruce thought.  _I’m so glad I was wrong.  I really shouldn’t be thinking of myself as his parent.  I mean, I barely know him.  If I knew it would be like this, I would have looked into adopting years ago.  However, I don’t think it would be the same.  I think it’s working because Dick is so much like me.  I don’t think any other kid could come close to Dick, but I wonder if I will ever have one of my own._

“Young Master Dick is in the library.  I’m afraid it was a difficult day today, Master Bruce.”

Bruce looked up, concerned, “Is he acting up?  I never figured he would have a temper.”

Alfred shook his head, “No, nothing like that, sir.  Master Dick is proving to be quite even-tempered.  If anything, he may be too polite.”

Bruce smirked, “To polite for you?  I didn’t think that was possible.”

Alfred shook his head and said, “My point, Master Bruce, is that he is a child.  A child who very recently endured a tragic, life-changing situation.  He _should_ be acting up and speaking out, given all he has been through.”

“So, what was the issue, then?”

“The same issue he has had since arriving here.  He doesn’t feel as if he belongs here.  He isn’t acclimating as we had hoped.”

Bruce huffed out a frustrated breath.  “I was afraid of that, Alfred.  I want him here.  I’m reasonably sure that you want him here.  I know there is some part of him that wants to be here.  I don’t know what to do, Alfred.  I don’t know how to help him.”

Alfred placed a comforting hand on Bruce’s shoulder and said, “We talked about this before you decided to take the boy in.  This is a monumental adjustment for one such as him.  I believe that once the culture shock wears off, he will start to grow more comfortable.  He needs more time.  Just remember, how long did it take for you to start to adjust after your own loss?”

“Years,” Bruce whispered in a haunted voice.  “I want better than that for him, though.”

“You can’t force him to get over it, Bruce.”

“I know,” he whispered.  Bruce sighed and said, “Maybe it really is just the culture shock.  I mean, everything his family owned could fit easily in his bedroom, without moving the furniture.  His bed is bigger than the living space in their trailer.  I’d replace everything in the room with furnishings he would be comfortable with, if he didn’t give me the guiltiest look you’ve ever seen when any topic involving money comes up.”

“I think there may be another problem, sir.”

“What is it,” Bruce asked, wondering how this evening could get worse.

“It seems the young master is scared.”

“Scared of what?”

Alfred looked around before saying, “It could be of many things, but every morning this week, following breakfast, he makes his way to the library carefully, as if the floor will crack under him if he doesn’t tiptoe.  He sits in one chair, always the same chair, and doesn’t move unless it is absolutely necessary.  I believe he is afraid of the house.”

Bruce took a deep breath and said, “I’m not surprised.  I never got to finish showing him around.  Every time I’ve tried, he gets so overwhelmed.  I just can’t stand seeing him like that.  He probably doesn’t want to get lost, if he went on his own.”

“You have to admit, sir, there are many expensive-looking items in the house.”

Bruce smirked, “Many of which I might reward him for breaking, just to get them out of here.”

Alfred continued, hiding his smile professionally, “I believe the fear is not only of breaking something, but of our reaction to such an occurrence.  Remember, Master Bruce, this child lost everything he ever knew a mere four weeks ago.  He had a terrible experience at the hands of Gotham Child Protective Services.  He doesn’t want to do anything that might cause you to send him back there, but everything is so new that he has chosen to not do anything, until he feels more comfortable.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes in anger at the mention of CPS.  “He will only ever go back there over my dead body.”

Alfred gazed critically at his employer and said, “I would suggest finding a better way to phrase that sentiment before talking to the young master.”

Bruce took a calming breath and said, “Yeah.  You’re right.  The library, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Bruce nodded, “Okay.  I’ll go change and then talk to him.”

Bruce’s heart broke five minutes later when he approached the open door of the library.  _Oh, chum.  Crying alone in the library?  You don’t deserve that.  You’ve been holding it together so well the last couple days.  I had hoped you were starting to heal.  Or, were you just hiding your real pain from me, because that’s what you thought I wanted?  Either way, it’s time for a long talk._

Bruce sat down silently in the chair closest to the despondent boy.  Not wanting to scare the child, he gently reached out and slid a hand up Dick’s arm to rest on his shoulder.  It seemed to take a minute before Dick realized he wasn’t alone.  When he lifted his head, Dick only looked disappointed, but what surprised Bruce was that the look was directed more at himself than Bruce.

Dick slid from the chair and climbed up into Bruce’s lap, a first for both of them.  As much as Dick wanted to remember the decorum that Alfred was always talking about, and his place, or lack of place, in the house, right now he was hurting, and Bruce was the only one around to help him feel better.

Dick buried his face in Bruce’s shoulder as his sobs intensified.  He was grateful that Bruce just let him cry, and didn’t try to get him to talk about his issues.  He wasn’t ready yet.

Bruce, the newly minted pseudo-parent, didn’t do it out of a preternatural understanding of what the boy needed.  He was scared to death of doing the wrong thing in the boy’s eyes, so he did nothing more than hug the child that he hoped he could one day consider his own.

Several long, wet minutes later, Dick leaned back, unable to meet Bruce’s eyes, which seemed to match his own so closely.  He wiped at his eyes as he rasped out, “You weren’t supposed to see this, Bruce.”

Shocked, Bruce asked, “Why not?”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with my problems, Bruce.  You’ve done so much for me already.  It’s not fair to you.”

Bruce pulled the boy back into a tight hug and said, “What isn’t fair is that you are hurting, and hiding it from us.  You don’t have to deal with this on your own.  You aren’t alone here.”

The reassurance set the waterworks to full strength again, as Dick started dampening the other side of Bruce’s shirt.  “But it’s my problem, Bruce.  Dad…Dad always said a…a man needs to take care of his own problems.”

Bruce’s hand cupped the back of Dick’s head, before sliding down to his neck.  He could feel the tension radiating through the young muscles, and an unexpected memory of his own father sprang to mind.  Slowly, gently, almost hesitantly, Bruce began to dig his fingers into neck muscles that felt taut as steel cables.

“Dick,” he said gently, “your Dad gave you excellent advice, but there is one thing I would like you to add to that.”

“What,” Dick said in a watery voice.

“A man should always handle his own problems, but that doesn’t mean he has to handle them on his own all the time.  Your Dad was trying to teach you self-reliance, but I bet he was always right there when you needed his help, right?”

Dick sniffed mightily, “Ye-yeah.  He was, and now he’s gone.  He’s been gone for a month.  They’ve both been gone for a month tomorrow, Bruce.  I miss them so much.”

Bruce just continued rubbing the boy’s neck, feeling the tension slowly ease.  Dick pulled his legs up to curl under himself in Bruce’s lap and said, “You’re good at that.”

“It’s something my Dad used to do to me when I wasn’t feeling so good.”

Dick leaned back slightly into the hand on his neck.  “My Dad used to massage my head.  He used to sing to me in Romany, too.”

Bruce sighed, “Well, I won’t be doing that.  I’m trying to help you here.  My singing won’t help anything.  I could deafen you, doing that, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

A reluctant smirk flashed across the boy’s face for just a second.  “You can’t be that bad.”

“You obviously weren’t paying attention when we sung Happy Birthday to you last week.”

Dick bowed his head again and sniffed, rubbing at his nose.  Bruce wrapped his arms around the child again.  They were quiet for a minute before Dick asked, “Is it always going to hurt like this?”

“No,” Bruce said softly.  “It will hurt, but it won’t always feel like this.”

Dick looked up, concerned.  “But, if it stops hurting, won’t that be like forgetting them?”

Bruce met the boy’s eyes with a serious gaze.  “Do you honestly think you will ever forget your parents?  The most important people in your life?”

“But they aren’t in my life anymore.  They’re dead.”  Tears leaked from the youth’s eyes again.

“They will always be with you, Dick.  They live on, in your mind, and your heart.  You are a miniature version of them; the best parts, all rolled into one.”

Dick laid his head on Bruce’s chest and closed his eyes.  “Thanks, Bruce.”

They were comfortably silent for close to half an hour when Dick started squirming in Bruce’s arms.  Scared he may have been squeezing the child too tightly, Bruce loosened his grip and asked, “What’s wrong, pal?”

Dick turned and said, “Just trying to get comfortable.  You’re a lot bigger than Dad was.  I can’t lay my head on your shoulder.  I…I used to do that with Dad, when he would hold me.”

“You’ll grow, chum.”

Dick sighed sadly and said, “Maybe when I get bigger, your house won’t feel so huge.”

Bruce smiled, “Don’t count on that, pal.  I’ve lived here my whole life, and it still feels big.  You’ve been here less than a month.  It takes time.  I notice that you seem to be going room by room to learn the house.  You seem to be okay with your bedroom.”

Dick flinched a bit and said, “I’m not, but it’s okay.”

Bruce sounded concerned as he asked, “What’s wrong with it?  How can I fix it for you?”

“You can’t.  It’s just…the room is so big.  It feels like everything is so far away.  I’ve never been in a room that big before, especially one that I’m supposed to stay in.  The bed is bigger than the inside of my trailer, Bruce.  The closet is bigger than our whole bathroom and kitchen is…was.  I can’t…”

“You can’t what?” Bruce asked gently when Dick trailed off.

Dick closed his eyes and said, “My bunk in the trailer was right above my parent’s bunk.  Hearing them breathing helped me to fall asleep at night.  If I had a nightmare, they were right there.  If I just wanted to be around them, I could hold my arm over the side of the bed, and Mom would hold my hand.  I can’t do that anymore.  No matter how far I reach my arm, the only thing I’m going to touch is the floor.  They aren’t there…here.  I can reach for them until my arm falls off, but I will never get that back again.”

Dick buried his face into Bruce’s chest for a third time, clinging tightly to the man.  Bruce was willing to be his anchor for as long as necessary.  He wrapped one arm around the boy, while the other cradled the back of his head.  Bruce was careful not to attempt to imitate the head massage Dick mentioned earlier.  The youth was confused enough as it was, Bruce was not about to try to replace John Grayson.

Once Dick had calmed again, Bruce said gently, “Maybe there is something we can do about your room to make it more comfortable for you.  I can get you a smaller bed, if you think that will help.”

“You shouldn’t be wasting money on me, Bruce.  Besides, won’t a smaller bed make the room look even bigger?”

Bruce shrugged, “I guess it would, but if you want it, and it will make you more comfortable, then it isn’t a waste.  I want you to feel comfortable here.”

Dick looked down, “Okay, but you still shouldn’t be wasting money on me.  I was working to earn my way before I ever heard of Gotham City.  There is no reason to stop doing that now.”

Bruce shook his head, unseen by Dick.  “I can think of several reasons, most important of which is that you don’t have to anymore.  You deserve a chance to be a kid.”

“I don’t want people looking at me like I’m some sort of charity case.  We had to deal with that in the circus, and it hurt, Bruce.  I don’t want that.”

Bruce thought, _that is a very specific term he just threw out._   “Why do you think I would see you like that?”

Dick glanced up, not lifting his head.  “Don’t you see me like that?”

Bruce shook his head, “Absolutely not.  Where did you get an idea like that from?”

Dick slid out of Bruce’s lap, and he found that he didn’t like the cold spot that was left in the youth’s absence.  Dick brought back a newspaper to the adult and turned to the society page, where a large, bold headline read ‘Bruce Wayne’s Charity Case’.

Bruce’s eyes widened as Dick said sadly, “It’s an entire article about me.  I don’t even know where they got their information, or why they would write an article about me.”

“They didn’t get it from us, Dick,” Bruce grumbled.  He quickly scanned the article and said, “Most of this isn’t true.  You understand that, right?”

“They sure make it sound true,” the boy said sadly.

“That’s what writers do.”

Dick sounded like he was trying to understand something just out of his reach, “Why would they print it, if it isn’t true?”

Bruce shook his head.  “Sensational stories sell society pages.  Truth is secondary to them.  I’ve seen this writer’s work before.  She is actually printing false stories intentionally, in the hopes that we will contact her to set the record straight, thereby giving her an exclusive interview, and the first real story involving your input.”

“People do that?”  Dick’s tone made it sound like he felt sorry for the state of the world.

Bruce gave a sad smirk, “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to fall for her tricks.  The only thing she is going to get from us is a cease and desist letter from my lawyer, and a demand for an apology and a retraction.  We’ll get it, too.  I know the editor of this paper.  Just to make it clear, I do not see you the way this writer makes it seem.”

Dick almost sobbed, “I know, Bruce, but something she wrote in there caught my attention.  ‘Why would Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s most eligible bachelor, want to do this?’  I couldn’t answer that question, Bruce.”

Bruce dropped the paper off the side of his chair and pulled Dick back into his lap.  The boy let himself be repositioned against the larger man’s warm body without protest.  It felt good to not be alone for once.  “You can’t answer that question because you weren’t asked.  I wasn’t asked, either, but I do have an answer.  I want to do this because it’s the right thing to do.  We made a connection that night, at least I feel we did.  I’m in a position where I can offer you a home.  It would be irresponsible, and just wrong of me, not to do that.  You deserve a chance at a life, a real life.  Being shuttled from shelter to foster home to group home until you turn eighteen, or until someone decides to adopt you, is no life.  You deserve more than that, and I want a chance to provide that for you.  You aren’t a waste.  You aren’t a burden.  You are an amazing kid, and I want to get to know you better.”

Dick thought about what Bruce said for half a minute before asking with a smirk, “How do you know?”

Bruce caught the smirk and asked, “How do I know what?”

“That I’m not a burden?”

Bruce smiled and said, “Because you’ve lived with one of the richest men in the country for almost a month, and the only thing you’ve asked for is a new pair of socks, and to have apple juice with breakfast instead of orange juice.”

Dick looked distressed again.  “Yes, I asked for a pair of socks, and Alfred bought me shirts, and shorts, and pants, and pajamas, and a jacket, and sweaters, and a suit.”

“He got the socks and some underwear, too.  Don’t forget about that,” Bruce said with a grin.

“Yes, but _why_?”

Bruce’s hand gently squeezed Dick’s shoulder.  “Dick, you came to us with the clothes on your back, and one change of clothes.  You needed at least something to sleep in, and something to wear while your clothes were being washed.  It gets cold in Gotham, so you needed a jacket, but it isn’t always cold enough for a jacket, so you needed some sweaters and sweatshirts.”

Dick sighed, even though he thought Bruce’s explanation made sense.  “Okay, I guess I can accept that.  Mom and Dad never let me run around naked, even on wash day.  I can’t see Alfred allowing that, either.  And, having more clothes means that Alfred has to do my laundry less often.  But, why a do I need a suit?  I’ve never worn a suit before.”

_I’ll bet you’ll look adorable in it when you do wear it,_ Bruce thought.  “Remember that gallery opening I went to last weekend?” Dick nodded.  “Well, unless the invitation specifically says ‘no children allowed’, people are going to expect to see you at those functions pretty soon.”

Dick’s jaw dropped, “ _Why?_   I don’t want to go to those things.”

Bruce chuckled, “I don’t either, pal, but it’s necessary sometimes.  I talked to you about my job, right?”

Dick was confused about where this was leading.  “Yeah, a bit.  You said you run your family’s company, right?”

“That’s right.  Part of my company includes a charity organization.  We hold fundraisers for that, and you and I are expected to make an appearance.  I also hold a couple fundraisers and society events here every year.  I can’t just have Alfred take you to the movies on those days.  I need Alfred here to run the parties, and I suspect having you at my side will make the events far more enjoyable.  We can find ways for you to help me on those days.”

Dick cocked his head and asked, “Help you with what?”

“We’ll talk about that more when it gets closer to the next event.  What’s important is that you know that it is coming up.  Back to what we were talking about, though; the house.  So, your bedroom is too big.  I’m not even going to ask about the dining room; I already know the answer to that because I think it is the same as my answer.  I don’t like that room, but Alfred insists that dinners must be served in the dining room.  He will only allow breakfast, and the occasional quick lunch, to be eaten in the kitchen.”

Dick sounded confused again, “But, doesn’t Alfred work for you?  Can’t you just tell him where you feel more comfortable eating?”

Bruce laughed, “Alfred, work for me?  That’s funny.  Believe it or not, he’s lived in this house longer than I have.  Sometimes I believe it is more his than mine.  He was hired by my parents, and stayed on after…well, after.”

Sensing he had said something to upset Bruce, Dick was quick to change the subject.  “I like the kitchen, though.  It feels…I don’t know, comfortable.  Like, it’s a place where I can see people actually doing stuff.  Most of the house doesn’t feel that way.  You have a really big house, Bruce, and most of it feels…cold.  I’m sorry, that’s just how it feels to me.”

Bruce nodded, “That’s okay, Dick.  You’re right, though.  We don’t use most of the rooms we have.  There are entire wings of the house that haven’t been used since my grandparents, or even my great-grandparents, were alive.  We’ll get around to seeing more of them…eventually.  I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much too soon.  Right now, it seems to me that the only other spaces you use are the den, but only when I’m with you, my study, again only when I’m with you, and the library.  Why do you only go into those other rooms when I’m there?”

Dick shrugged, “Well, the den is nice, but we never had a TV in our trailer, and I don’t really see the point in wasting the day just staring at a screen.  I like your study, too, but I feel like I’m intruding when I go in there alone.  It’s your space, I don’t want to go where I’m not allowed.”

“You’ve been told the rooms you aren’t allowed to go in, Dick.  My study wasn’t on that list.  You are allowed to explore the house.  If you do, you might feel more comfortable a little quicker.”

“I don’t want to get lost, Bruce,” Dick said quietly, almost sheepishly, “and I don’t want to break anything.  Everything looks so expensive here…”

“…And you don’t want to do anything that will make me reconsider having you live here?”

Dick’s head snapped up, his eyes wide.  “How did you know that?” he whispered.

“Why else would you walk as slowly as possible down the exact center of the hallway?  Dick, it isn’t going to happen.  I want you here.  I want you to eventually see this place as home.  I’m not going to get rid of you, and to be honest, there are a lot of things around here that I wouldn’t mind seeing broken.”

Dick didn’t hear anything past ‘I want you here’.  “Do you mean that?”

“Don’t tell Alfred about the last part,” Bruce said with a wink.  Dick hugged Bruce again, and this time, there were no tears.

A minute later, Bruce said, “So, the library?”

Dick looked around the room, and it was the first time Bruce had seen the boy look at anything non-living in the house fondly.  “I like this room.  I don’t feel like I’m intruding here.”  The boy’s eyes widened as he realized what he said.

Bruce sighed and said softly, “I know we don’t know each other that well yet, but I think you should know me well enough by now to know that, if I didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be here.  You are not an intruder.”

Dick stared at his lap, “I do know that, Bruce.  This is really the only room I can do something like I used to.  Mom always used to say that reading is the only non-active activity that is never a waste of time.  We worked a lot at the circus.  Finding time to read was a treat.  I just…I miss being useful.  I should be helping out around here, or something.  Alfred won’t let me do anything on my own; he always does things for me.  I almost had to argue with him to convince him that I could take a bath on my own.”

Bruce smiled faintly and said, “Are you saying that you want us to give you chores to do?”

“At least then maybe I’ll feel like I can earn my place here,” Dick grumbled quietly.  “We always had to do our chores before we could have fun at the circus.”

“I’ll talk to Alfred.  Maybe he can find something for you to help him with.  What would you do for fun, after your chores?”

Dick looked wistful, with a hint of misty.  “Dad would train me for the act.  Trapeze, bars, gymnastics, tumbling…sometimes we would just go swimming, if there was a lake or river around the camp.  He always told Mom that it was for strength training, but we just splashed and had fun.  Now that I think of it, I think Mom knew that we were messing around.”

Dick laid his head back on Bruce’s chest, finding a comfortable spot where he could hear Bruce’s heart beat under his left ear.  His eyes worked their way around the room without moving his head, taking in row after row of books.

Idly, he said, “There are a lot of books in here.”

“Alfred tells me that you’ve made a good start on working your way through them since you’ve been here.”

“Is that okay?” Dick asked nervously.

Bruce smiled, “They’re books, not decorations.”

Dick shrugged lightly, “I don’t know, I think they look kinda decorative.”

“Books have a function.  They are meant to be read,” Bruce said, lightly stroking Dick’s arm as he looked at the room through the boy’s eyes.  “As far as I’m concerned, you can start at one end and work your way through all of them, if you want.”

“Have you read all of them, Bruce,” the boy asked curiously.

Bruce chuckled, “No, Dickie.  That would be a lot of reading.  I’ve read a lot of them, though.  You know, if there is something that you want to read that you don’t see in here, let us know and we’ll pick up a copy for you.”

Bruce was hoping to ease the child into feeling a little more comfortable with the excessive amount of money Bruce planned on spending on the boy throughout his life.  _He will want for nothing, ever, if I have anything to say about it, but he has to accept his fate first.  I will do everything in my power to spoil him rotten, but only if it isn’t going to give him an inferiority complex.  He’s not a charity case, but he deserves a comfortable life.  Starting with a few books shouldn’t be too controversial for him._

“I told you,” Dick whispered, “You don’t have to waste your money on me.”

“Books are not a waste, Dick,” Bruce said softly, “and neither are you.”

Dick didn’t respond, so a minute later, Bruce tried a different tactic.  “Hey, would you like to get out of the house for a bit tomorrow with me?”

Dick seemed to perk up a bit and said, “Yeah.  I miss being out and about.  What did you want to do, Bruce?”

Bruce shrugged, “I thought we could go to the book store.”

Dick looked confused, which confused Bruce, “Book store?  What’s that?”

_He’s kidding, right?_   “A store that sells books, pal.”

Dick rolled his eyes and said, “Well, yeah.  I kinda figured that part out for myself, Bruce.  You mean to tell me that there are stores that _only_ sell books?”

Bruce cocked his head, still confused.  “Yes, there are.  You had books.  I know you did, I saw them in your trailer.  Where did you get them?”

Dick shrugged, “Library sales, yard sales, grocery stores.  We…we didn’t have a lot of extra money, Bruce.  We had to look for cheap things.”

Bruce lifted Dick’s chin with a finger and met the youth’s eyes, hoping to dispel the sad tone that crept into his voice over the last sentence.  “First of all, there is a huge difference between cheap and inexpensive.  Cheap implies poorly made.  Inexpensive implies lower cost.  If you have a tight budget, then you will want things that last.  In that case, you definitely wouldn’t go for cheap.  I bet your parents knew the difference.  There is no shame in using a lower priced item when it serves the same purpose just as well as a more expensive item.  Inexpensive doesn’t mean bad, just like new doesn’t mean better.  In fact, the only item that can’t be repurposed or fixed once it gets old is a calendar.”

Dick giggled, feeling his mood rise just a fraction.  It was nice to be able to sit with someone who would talk to him, instead of at him.  _Dad was like this.  It was…comfortable…talking to him, because he never tried to convince me that he was right when it wasn’t necessary, or just to be right.  He wanted me to learn for myself.  I think Bruce is like that, too.  I think they would have been friends.  It’s nice that Bruce isn’t trying to tell me to cheer up.  I think…I think he’s just trying to convince me that, maybe, it’s okay to look at life as something that didn’t stop at my parent’s graves.  I want to be happy, but I just get so sad, when I think about how they aren’t with me anymore._

“Why do you want to go to a book store, if you haven’t finished all the books you have, yet?”

Bruce thought for a second, not realizing that his hand was resting on Dick’s knee.  Dick didn’t realize it, either.  They were both just comfortable, and enjoying their conversation.  “Several reasons.  First,” Bruce pointed in the general direction of a large section of books behind him, “See those books there, by the door?  Those are all reference books.  They’re good to have, but I’m not exactly going to enjoy sitting down to read the encyclopedia.  There is also a shelf full of atlases in here somewhere, too.  Again, good to have for reference, but not so much for reading.  There are also some books, mostly the ones on the very top shelves; that are in very poor condition.  Those are very old, and I don’t want them to fall apart.  One of these days, Alfred will get them restored, but that really isn’t a priority right now.”

Dick’s eyes widened a bit, “Wow, thanks for the warning.  I’ve been looking at titles, and some of those old ones sounded interesting.  I won’t touch them if they’re going to fall apart, though.”

“Let us know which ones sounded good, and we can see if we have another copy somewhere.  We have some newer copies of some of the really old ones.”

Dick nodded, “I will.  You said ‘first’.  What’s second?”

Bruce smiled, “Second, I’ve found an author whose works I enjoy, and I’ve been working my way through his books.  I’m ready to start the next one, but I don’t have it.  I was going to have Alfred pick it up for me one of these days, but why do that when you and I can go out and pick it up?”

“And third?” Dick asked.

Bruce smirked, “How did you know there was a third?”

“There’s always a third,” Dick said with a wink.

Ruffling the boy’s hair, Bruce said, “Third, there was another article last week, about you.”

“About me,” Dick asked nervously.

“Well, sort of about you.  The writer pointed out that you basically haven’t left the house since I took you in.  They were wondering if something had happened to you.  I think that might be what prompted the visit from CPS on Monday.”

Dick pulled his lower lip back between his teeth to keep it from shaking.  _Why can’t they just leave us alone?  There is nothing wrong with me, or where I am.  I don’t like when they keep asking if Bruce is hurting me, and I hate how Bruce looks when they’re here, and how sad and angry he gets after they’re gone._   “I don’t like them, Bruce.”

Bruce hugged the boy tightly, as if the mere mention of the organization was enough to wrench the child from his arms.  “Neither do I, pal.”

“I know you won’t hurt me.  They should just leave us alone.  Don’t they think I would tell them if you were doing anything wrong?”

Bruce felt a hint of fear enter his stomach.  “Would you tell them if anything like that was happening?”

The very end of Dick’s lips curled up in the slightest hint of a smile, “No, I would tell Alfred.  As scary as the CPS people are, he can be scarier.  Besides, it’s not true that I never leave the house.  You took me to see Dr. Leslie last week.”

_How do I explain this to him?_   “Dick, you should know, and you will find out, that I’m a pretty well-known figure around Gotham.  I’ve had several high-profile…relationships…that all ended, well, let’s just say that they ended.  They weren’t exactly the type of people I would look for a long-term relationship with.  Now, without any previously expressed interest in the topic, I’ve taken in a child.  The press is curious about what it is about you that made me even consider taking in a child.  They can never find out the real reason, which makes their made up reasons all the more plausible to those who care about those kinds of things.”

Dick still looked confused, “But, I’m not interesting, Bruce.  Why would they think I am?”

“You’re interesting to me, pal, and that makes them wonder what caught my interest.  Don’t worry, the press won’t bother us too much.  We’ve had run-ins with them in the past, and a lot of them are under court order to stay a certain distance away from me.”

Dick huffed out a breath.  “I don’t like them, Bruce.  The ones outside of the court were really mean and pushy.  It was different when they were covering the circus.”

“I don’t like them, either, Dick.”

Dick looked up, meeting Bruce’s eyes.  The confused look seemed to be stuck on his features for the last several minutes.  “Then why did you let that other reporter come over two weeks ago?  You said you don’t like reporters, but you invited that guy in and Alfred made him coffee and everything.”

Bruce smirked, _Wow, this kid doesn’t miss anything._   “That was Clark.  I’ve known him for a long time.  It’s…different with him.”

The confused look began to clear from the boy’s face, “Oh.  He was nice.  He didn’t seem to be pushing for anything when we were talking when you went to the bathroom.  He didn’t seem like he was asking reporter questions, at least.”

Bruce nodded, thinking _Clark better have been nice to you while I was out of the room.  I didn’t know that you two spoke; it was quiet when I got back._   “Clark and I have an understanding.  He will never print anything about us without running it by me first.”

Dick looked at Bruce for a minute before saying, “You’re not telling me something, Bruce.”

Bruce smiled, “You’re right.  I am.”

“Is it a secret?”

“Yep,” Bruce laughed, “A big secret.  The funny thing is, Clark probably wants you to know the secret.”

The boy’s eyes widened, “Then tell me!”

“Sorry, chum, but it’s not my secret to tell.  If he actually wants you to know it, he’ll tell you.”

Dick cocked his head to the left and asked, “Do you see Clark that often?”

Bruce shrugged, “Sometimes more than I want to,” he grumbled.

Dick gave Bruce the beginnings of a pout that could have convinced a criminal to go straight and said, “Come on, Bruce.  How big a secret can it be?  It’s not like _he’s_ Batman.”

Dick’s eyes widened and he slapped both hands over his mouth at what he said.  Bruce flinched at the mention of his alter ego, but controlled his reaction the best he could.

“I’m sorry, Bruce.  I know, I promised not to talk about that anywhere other than in the cave.”

“It’s okay, Dick.  You can talk about that with me and Alfred.  Just be careful of where you are when you do.”

Dick nodded solemnly, “I know.  It has to be just us.”

“Good,” Bruce placed both hands on the boy’s shoulders and looked into his eyes.  “Are you feeling at least a little better?”

Dick gave a small smile.  “Yeah.  I don’t know how you keep making me feel better, but you do.  Thanks.”

“That’s what I’m here for.  So, do you want to try the book store tomorrow?”

Dick looked down again, “You are just going to try to spend money on me, aren’t you?”

“Is that really such a bad thing,” Bruce said in the same quiet tone.

“It makes me uncomfortable, Bruce.  I don’t deserve…all this.”  The boy gestured around the room, meaning to encompass the whole house.  Bruce got the inference.

“What if it’s something I want to do?  I know it makes you uncomfortable, and I know you didn’t ask for it, but is a small present every now and then such a bad thing?”

Dick’s gaze was firm when he met Bruce’s eyes.  “I’m _not_ what the paper said I am.  I’m _not_ a charity case.”

Bruce nodded, “I never said you were.  It’s not the same thing as charity to do something nice for another person just to do something nice.  Besides, just because we go to look around a store, doesn’t mean we have to buy anything.”

Dick looked surprised.  He had often gone window shopping with his mother.  Dick didn’t think it would be something Bruce would be interested in doing.  “Wait, aren’t we going to get your book?”

“Yes, and we’re going to look around, and enjoy some time out of the house.  And, if you see anything you would like to read, we can pick that up, too.  But even if we just drive to the store and come straight home, I won’t consider it a wasted trip.  Come on, let’s go get cleaned up for dinner.”

_The next day…_

The following day was met with far more smiles than the end of the previous day.  The prospect of getting out of the house, even if it was for the purpose of spending money, brightened Dick’s mood greatly.  After Dick’s bedtime, Bruce had discussed the situation with Alfred, and they decided on three resolutions.  One, Alfred would no longer put off out of the house chores until times when Bruce was home.  Even the idea of getting out of the house had put a bright smile on the boy’s face, and Bruce wanted that to be Dick’s default look.  Two, and Bruce had to twist Alfred’s arm to get him to agree to this one, Dick would be given the occasional light chore, just to give him something to do to keep him happy.  As far as Bruce was concerned, Dick should never have to lift a finger again as long as he lived, but if Dick felt better by helping out, then Bruce would allow it.  Third, Alfred would call on Monday and change the newspaper delivery address to Bruce’s office.  There was no need for Dick to see the types of stories that had upset him so much.

Bruce found that he was driving with his eyes on the rear-view mirror more than he was looking out of the windshield as he steered them into town.  Dick looked around with a look that Bruce couldn’t quite decipher.

Finally, sitting at a red light, Bruce asked, “Doing okay back there?”

Dick sent an easy smile forward and said, “Yeah, this is fun, Bruce.  It’s just…”

_I don’t like that look,_ Bruce thought as the smile slipped from Dick’s face.  “Just what, pal?”

“I didn’t know you owned two cars, Bruce.  I’ve only ever seen the black one.”

Bruce grimaced.  _How do I explain the garage to him?  Why did no one warn me about all these things when I decided to take Dick in?  It’s not like I’ve ever spent time around children before.  What is he going to say when he finds out that there are actually twenty-five cars at home?_

Bruce had chosen the plainest, most non-descript car in the garage, in the hope of not overwhelming the child again.  So far, it seemed like it was the right choice, but that might change when they got home.

“The black one, you say?  You mean Alfred’s car?”

The clouds cleared from Dick’s face and he said, “Oh!  That makes sense.  Why is his car so much nicer than yours, though?”

Bruce laughed as he pulled away from the light.  “Don’t you think Alfred deserves a nice car?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s _really_ nice.  I’m afraid of messing it up when I’m in there.  You must pay Alfred a lot for him to buy such a nice car.”

Not thinking, Bruce said, “I don’t pay Alfred anything.”

Dick’s jaw dropped.  “Isn’t that, like, against the law?”

Bruce smiled, “It’s not what you think, Dick.  Alfred lives in the house for free.  All of his meals are included.  He has everything he could ever want or need.  He also has access to all of the household accounts, and can use as much of them as he wants.  Every nickel I have to my name is in his name, too.  The only thing he doesn’t get is a standard paycheck.  It makes taxes easier for him.”

Dick thought for a second before saying, “Oh, so he’s more like family than just a worker?”

“Exactly.”

Dick looked around again and said, “I know this is probably prying, but you’re rich, right?  Shouldn’t you have some big, flashy car?  This car just looks…normal.”

Bruce spoke slowly, trying to choose his words carefully.  “Dick, I don’t want to overwhelm you, and I don’t want you getting upset about what I’m going to tell you.  Rich people…like to collect things.  What is the use of money if it is just going to sit there?  My family has been rich for a long time.  You’ve seen a lot of the stuff around the house, I think you can understand that, right?”

“Yeah,” Dick said slowly, “What are you trying to say?”

“There are more cars at the house than just this one and Alfred’s car.  I like cars, and I have a bit of a collection of them.”

“Oh,” Dick said.

Bruce wasn’t quite sure how the child was taking the news, so he continued carefully.  “They aren’t all mine, Dick.  Well, I guess they are now, but some of the cars we have belonged to my parents, and even my grandparents.  I decided not to get rid of them.  They still work; they’re still good, so there is no reason to get rid of them.  Actually, some of them are pretty rare now.  I don’t see a reason to get rid of them.  I have bought a few myself, and some of them are the big, flashy cars you were talking about.”

“So, why did you drive this one today?”

Bruce sighed, “To be honest, you’re having a hard enough time adjusting to the house.  I didn’t want to scare you with something that looked really expensive.”

There was a hint of a smile in Dick’s reply.  “Bruce, my Dad had a fifth-hand truck.  Every car looks expensive, to me.  I used to walk through the parking lot of the circus and look at all the cars.  I never dreamed I would ever get a chance to ride in any of them.”

Bruce glanced back at the boy in the rear-view mirror again.  “You like cars, chum?”

“Yeah, they’re neat,” Dick said with excitement in his voice.

“So, if we went looking around the garage sometime, that wouldn’t bother you?”

Dick’s eyes were wide as platters as he said, “Nu-uh.  That would be cool.”

A smile split Bruce’s face as he finally seemed to find something that wasn’t going to send the boy into a crying fit.  “Dick, there is something you need to know about cars.”

“What’s that, Bruce?” Dick asked.

“Cars are tough.  You aren’t going to break them by touching them.  You can touch all of them.  You can climb in and look in and around and under anything you want; you aren’t going to break anything.  Maybe, eventually, some day, you can drive them…when you’re old enough.”

Dick gasped, “Really?”

“If you want,” Bruce said.

“Wow!  Thanks, Bruce.”

They were quiet until just a couple blocks from the book store, when Dick asked, “So, you only drove this car today because you thought I would freak out in another car?”

Bruce shrugged, “Not exactly.  That was part of it, though.  I keep this one around because it is plain and inconspicuous.”

“Is that why you bought it?  So you can drive around all sneaky and undercover,” Dick asked with a giggle.

Bruce smiled at the boy’s laugh and said, “I didn’t buy this car.”

Dick’s look started to pale, “Oh.  Was it one of your parent’s, then?”

Bruce’s smile didn’t waver as he said, “Nope.  Alfred bought me this car when I turned sixteen, to learn how to drive.  I’ve held on to it since then.”

“Wow,” Dick said, with wonder in his tone, “this car is really old, then.”

Bruce’s jaw dropped as Dick giggled again from the back seat.  “That wasn’t nice, Dick, but I love to hear you laugh.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” the boy said, still laughing.

“You better help yourself when Alfred’s around.”

Dick’s look sobered and his eyes widened, “You won’t tell him, will you, Bruce?”

A nervous pout was on full display in the rear view mirror.  _Good lord, that look could melt the hardest hearts in the world.  That is a very dangerous look.  It makes me want to do things to protect this boy above all else.  Why do I think this kid will have me wrapped around his little finger by this time next week, and why am I okay with that?_

“No, pal.  That’s just between us.”

Dick’s face brightened as he said, “Thanks, Bruce.”

Bruce parked the car and sighed loudly when a herd of paparazzi lined up at the end of the parking lot.  Dick looked out of the window nervously and said, “I thought you said this car was to keep you hidden?”

“It usually is,” Bruce said as photographers began inching closer to the vehicle, trying to remain hidden among the other cars in the parking lot.  “Remember what I told you yesterday, though.  Me taking you in is big news.”

“I don’t like these photographers, Bruce,” Dick said softly, “They scare me.  How did they find us?”

Bruce closed his eyes, “I hate to tell you this, but one of them was probably watching the house.”

Dick’s eyes widened in fear, “They watch your house?”

“They can’t get in the gates, Dick, and if they did, then they would go to jail for trespassing.  It’s hard to see anything of the house from the road, and your room is on the back of the house, so they would need to be standing on the back lawn to see you.”

Dick thought about that for a second.  “They still scare me, Bruce.  They’re so pushy, and mean.”

“They are,” Bruce agreed, “but you have to remember, they are just doing their job.  Their job is to sell pictures.  Most of them are just trying to feed their families.”

The pout started to return to Dick’s face.  “I still don’t like them, Bruce.  Can’t we just go?”

“We can’t run from them forever, Dick.”

“But, they’re just going to follow us around the store,” Dick whined.

“They won’t.  Not if they don’t want to go to jail.”

Dick’s jaw dropped, “Are you going to call the police on them?”

Bruce smiled and turned in his seat.  “I won’t have to.  Can you see the front of the store?  Notice how you can’t see in the windows?  See that sticker on the door, with the circle around the camera with the line through it?”  Dick nodded, Bruce continued, “If a cameraman enters the store to follow us around, the store will call the police and have the photographer arrested for trespassing.  That sticker means ‘no paparazzi allowed’.  A lot of stores do that, for the shopping comfort of their guests.  I let it be known several years ago that I would only shop at stores that enforced that policy.  The next day, half the retailers in the city had no-cameraman policies.”

Dick thought for a second, “Okay, but we still have to get to the store.  Look at them.”

Bruce looked out of the window and saw a veritable mass of humanity waiting between the car and the storefront, and the pile was sneaking closer to the car.

Bruce just smirked, “I’ve got a few tricks for that, too.  Let me tell you a secret.  Paparazzi like having their picture taken just as much as you do.”

“I’ve never minded having my picture taken before, Bruce.”

“Okay, they like having their picture _forcefully_ taken about as much as you do.”

Bruce reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a camera.  He handed it to the boy with a wink. 

Dick took it and said, “I don’t want to waste your film, Bruce.”

Bruce’s smile grew, “There’s no film in there, just a battery to make the flash work.  They want to take pictures of you, you just go ahead and take pictures right back.  Plus, holding a camera in front of your face ruins their shots.”

Dick cocked his head and asked, “Isn’t that kinda mean, Bruce?”

The photographers were starting to get restless outside of the car, and their calls demanding Bruce and Dick to get out of the car were becoming clearer and louder.  “No meaner than what they’re doing.  Are you ready to try?  The longer we sit here, the braver they’ll get, and the closer they’ll come.”

Dick nodded nervously and said, “O-okay, Bruce.”

Bruce reached into the back seat and patted Dick’s knee, “I’ll be with you the whole time, pal.”

Bruce opened the door to a cacophony of shouts, trying to get Bruce and Dick to look in their direction and give them better pictures.  Dick tried to be brave, but his nerve quickly failed.  He held the camera in a shaky hand in front of his face, his finger jabbing the shutter in rapid-fire succession.  His other hand groped blindly for Bruce’s.  Bruce unconsciously took the child’s hand and they walked towards the store.

The shouts grew, demanding that Dick drop the camera.  Bruce looked at the mass of photographers as Dick nearly plastered himself against Bruce’s leg.  Finally having enough, Dick dropped the camera and buried his face in Bruce’s hip. 

Bruce sighed as he felt Dick shaking through his leg and shouted, “Enough already!”

One photographer stepped forward and said harshly, “Come on, Wayne, you’re ruining our shots with these little games of yours.”

“And you’re scaring my ward,” Bruce fired back, his hand coming to rest on the back of the sniffling boy’s head.

“You know what we want, Wayne.  Give us out pictures and we’ll go away.”

Bruce glared at the man.  “I’ve heard that one before.  Who says you should get what you want, when what you want causes this?”  Bruce gestured to the child at his waist.  The cameramen seemed unfazed as Bruce continued.  “You’re Tom, right?  Gotham Press-Tribune?”

“Yeah,” the man replied with a laugh.

“You know I’m friends with your editor, right?”

“You threatening me, Wayne?”

Bruce’s gaze was hawkish as he said, “I don’t have to, because as I recall, there is an injunction against all of you.  By my estimation, you are all in violation of a court order.  Fifty yards.  You must stay fifty yards away at all times.  If I had to guess, I’d say you are less than fifty feet away right now.  My lawyer is going to have a field day with this on Monday.  Or, you can try to understand that you are scaring a child who lost everything he ever knew a month ago.  Calm down, and let him heal.”

The paparazzi grumbled vociferously as they parted and moved the requisite distance away.  Dick looked up and provided one lucky cameraman with what would become the front page picture in tomorrow’s papers.  It showed Dick looking up in awe as Bruce gave a protective glare at the offending photographers.

Their first stop in the book store was to talk to the manager of the retailer and apologize for the media circus in front of the store.  Bruce’s concerns were brushed off until a cashier came into the office and said there was a complaint from another customer of a flock of cameramen blocking the exit of the building.  Police were called, and the photogs were ordered to stay at the far end of the parking lot.  An officer was assigned to sit in front of the store to ensure compliance.

Dick was still sticking to Bruce like he had been glued to the man’s leg.  Bruce looked down and asked softly, “You okay, Dick?”

Dick shook his head ‘no’.  “That was scary, Bruce,” the boy whispered in a small voice.

“I’m sorry I yelled, Dick, but they weren’t going to listen any other way.”

Dick looked up and said, “That wasn’t scary, but the photographers were.  I kinda liked when you yelled at them.  I don’t think they would have listened to me if I yelled at them.  What kind of people can do something like that, and not let it bother them that they made me almost cry?”

Halfway down an aisle, Bruce knelt and placed his hands on Dick’s shoulders.  “You did well, chum.  It’ll get better as time passes.  Once more pictures of you get out, you will stop being interesting to them.  There is such a frenzy now because these are the first pictures of you and me together since your court date.  It will settle down, eventually.”

“And I won’t be interesting to them,” Dick asked sadly.

Bruce took a guess at the meaning of the comment and said, “Not to them, but you will always be interesting to me, pal.”

Dick leaned forward and hugged Bruce, and when he pulled back, his expression had cleared.

Bruce stood again and held out his hand to the boy.  It was grasped immediately.  “I know you’ve had other things on your mind, but what do you think of the store?”

Dick looked around properly, and his eyes widened a bit as his smile grew.  “It’s bigger than any of the libraries Mom ever took me to.  If we had to be stuck in a place with a pack of evil photographers outside, I think this would be a good place to be stuck.”

Bruce smirked and said, “Do you want to look around?”

Dick grew a concerned look and asked, “With you, right?”

Bruce squeezed Dick’s hand reassuringly, “Of course.  I’m not going to let you go.”

Dick breathed a little easier and said, “Let’s go.”

Half an hour later, Bruce gasped and reached for a book on a low shelf.  “There it is.  That’s the one I was looking for.”

Dick stood on his toes to read the title on the cover.  “Debt of Honor.  That’s the one you wanted?”

Bruce handed the book to the boy and said, “That’s the one, pal.  I’ve been reading Tom Clancy novels for a couple years now.  It’s been a while since a single author has been able to hold my attention for more than a book or two.”

“This is a big book, Bruce.”

Bruce smiled, “I guess so.  That just means it will last longer, right?”

Dick handed the novel back and asked, “Um, is he a good writer?”

“He can craft a tale.  There have even been a couple movies based on his books, but I think the books are better.”

Dick looked uncertain, now that they had accomplished the purpose of their trip.  Bruce caught the look and said, “We can still look around, if you want.  We don’t have to face them yet.  Besides, there are whole sections of the store we haven’t seen yet.”

A small smile was turned up at the older man.  “That sounds good, Bruce.”

Unsure of what Dick might like to read, Bruce aimed them towards the children’s section.  Just because Dick had been reading from the Manor’s library didn’t mean that it was at his interest or reading level.  It was what was available.  As big as Dick’s smile got on entering the brightly lit section, the boy didn’t look like he was interested in taking anything home.  Bruce was okay with that, so long as Dick truly couldn’t find something he wanted, not just that he didn’t want to waste Bruce’s money.

Dick sat down in front of a book rack and pulled a book from the shelf.  Bruce smiled as the boy opened a book and flipped through a couple pages.  He watched happily as Dick lost himself in the book for a few minutes.

After a couple minutes, Dick put the book back on the shelf and pulled another one out.  Again, he flipped through a couple pages for a minute before replacing the book.

Bruce spoke softly from behind the child.  “Anything look good to you, pal?”

Not looking up, Dick said, “I used to read these at the library when Mom would take me.  They were fun, but they were too short.”

_Too short?  Maybe he is farther along in reading level than I thought.  These are the highest level they have in the children’s section._   “It doesn’t make you feel bad that you’re talking about your Mom, does it?”

Dick shrugged as he stood up, “A little, but I would rather remember things like that about her than…than other things.”

A quick image of the woman’s broken body flashed through Bruce’s mind, sending a shudder through his spine.  Dick caught the involuntary motion, and a pang of hurt crossed his mind. _Why is he shaking like that?  She was my mother.  Still, though, he saw the whole thing, and now he has to try to take care of me.  I can try to make this easier for him.  He’s done so much for me so far._

Dick stood and took Bruce’s hand.  “These are nice, but let’s look at something else.”

“Sure, pal.”

They wandered again, until they ended up in the Science-Fiction section.  Dick smiled at the fanciful cover art on some of the titles, until a title caught his eye.  With a tiny gasp, Dick said, “I didn’t know they wrote books about Star Wars?”

Neither did Bruce.  He looked at the book in Dick’s hands and said, “I wouldn’t think you would even know what Star Wars is, Dickie.”

The boy nodded absently.  “My Dad liked the movies.  He used to tell me the stories as bedtime stories.  He used to make up different adventures with the main characters.  I guess he wasn’t the only one, if there are other books.”

Dick thumbed through the title, and Bruce decided that they would be taking that one home.  After several minutes, Bruce asked softly, “Would you like to read that one, Dick?”

Dick didn’t look up from the cover as he nodded.  “Yeah, I think I would.  I know I told you not to waste your money on me, so maybe I can earn it, somehow?”

“I think I can think of a couple ways for you to earn the things you want.”

Dick looked up, hope in his eyes.  “How, Bruce?”

Bruce thought for a second, wondering if he should tell Dick of his conversation with Alfred the night before.  Deciding it would be okay, Bruce said, “Alfred and I talked yesterday.  He wasn’t too happy about it, but he’s going to find a chore or two for you.  Alfred’s job is to take care of the house, and those who live in it.  I think he’s going to have you help him out a bit.  Not much, but some.”

Dick’s eyes brightened.  “I can do that.  Thank you, Bruce.”

Bruce looked confused as Dick put the book back on the shelf.  “I thought you wanted that one.”

“I do, but you can’t reward me before doing my job.”

Bruce picked up the book again and handed it to the boy.  “How about you take it as something work towards?  We’re already here, we might as well get it now.”

Dick looked back at the book.  He genuinely wanted to read it, but he didn’t want to presume to make demands of a man he had known for only a month, even though Bruce had told him he could have just about anything he wanted.  “I guess that makes sense, Bruce.”

Bruce had leaned over and pulled two more books off of the shelf and handed them to Dick.  “Good.  Did you want to look around longer, or are you ready to go?”

Dick looked at the three books in his hands in alarm and said, “Wait, I just wanted the one.  What are these two for?”

Bruce smirked and said, “Read the top of the cover of the one you want.”

Dick held up the book and read out loud, “Volume two of a three book cycle.”

Bruce nodded, “Don’t you think you would be a little lost if you started at book two, without reading book one?”

Dick shrugged, “Okay, but why three?  Why don’t I just start with one?”

“Because you’ve been going through a couple books a week.  You may go through those quicker than you anticipate.”

“But these are big books, Bruce,” Dick said, “They’re almost as big as the one you’re getting.  Even just one of these is going to take a while.”

Bruce placed a hand on Dick’s shoulder and said, “You’ve got time.  Dick, I want you to start feeling comfortable at home.  I can tell that you still aren’t comfortable with the house.  Maybe, if you have a few things that are all your own, it will help that.”

“Yeah, but Bruce…”

“Hey, we talked about this,” Bruce interrupted.  “This isn’t charity.  You want to read at least one of those books.  I want to give you a chance to read them.  I like you, Dick.  You’re worth a couple books here and there.”

_Well, I think I would feel more comfortable if I’m not worried about breaking his stuff.  I’ve never had brand new books before.  He’s been so nice to me, though.  He doesn’t have to keep doing these things.  Dad would do stuff like this, too, when we had spare money._ “If I say no, you’re just going to buy them anyway, aren’t you?”

Bruce took the three books from the boy in one hand and Dick’s hand in the other.  “You said you wanted to read them.  As far as I’m concerned, they’re already yours.”

“Why?”

Bruce dropped Dick’s hand and ruffled his hair, bringing a grin to the boy’s face.  “Because I like you, and I want you to be happy.  You’re a good kid, and I want to do this.  Believe me, you are not taking advantage of me.  You are not asking for anything out of the ordinary.  There is no shame in me buying things for you, especially if they are things you want or need.”

Dick looked into Bruce’s eyes for half a minute before saying quietly, “Okay, Bruce.  I guess it isn’t so bad, if it’s something you want to do.”

“It is, pal.  You ready to go?”

Dick looked towards the front of the store, “I don’t want to run into the camera guys again.”

Bruce nodded, “It won’t be as bad leaving as it was coming in.  The police are still outside, we shouldn’t have any problems.”

Bruce paid for their purchases, intentionally not letting the cashier tell them a total.  They left the store, and Dick smiled softly at the line of photographers standing on the far side of the parking lot.  True to Bruce’s words, the paparazzi stayed away.  The grumbles were audible to Bruce, but Dick didn’t seem to notice.  What he did notice was the flurry of flashes and the cacophony of shutter clicks when Dick gave a smile and a wave to the photographers.

On the way back to Stately Wayne Manor, Bruce watched the boy in the rear-view mirror and asked, “That wasn’t too bad, was it?  I’m sorry about the camera monkeys.  I guess I should have predicted that they would swarm like that.  I…”

Dick interrupted with a smile, “I had fun today, Bruce.  Thanks for saying we should do this.  We should do more stuff like this.”

A small smile crossed Bruce’s face, “You want to do more things like this?”

“Yeah.  I like spending time with you.  Besides, it’s like you said, the more we are seen out together, the sooner they will leave us alone.”

“I can get behind that, chum.   Anytime you want to do something, you just let me know.  Don’t wait until I come up with an idea.”

Dick was silent, thinking, for a minute before saying softly, “I’ll do that.  Hey, Bruce?  You told me when I first came to live with you that I could ask you for anything.”

Bruce nodded, “Yes, I did, and that doesn’t expire, even though you haven’t taken advantage of it yet.”

Dick sounded nervous to Bruce.  “Well, I think I want to ask you for something.”

“Anything, pal.”

Dick’s eyes met Bruce’s in the mirror.  “Will you read to me when we get home?”

_Home.  He said home.  It was probably just a slip of the tongue, but that is how I want him to think of the manor._   “As you wish.”

 

**A/N: Well, this is a little embarrassing.  If anyone read the note to Left Turn, then you know that I promised a story featuring Batman and young Dick as Robin.  This, obviously, isn’t that story.  What I wanted to write was Straw, Sticks, and Bricks, but when I went searching my notebooks for the outline I had for that story, it was nowhere to be found.  The only thing I can figure is that, when I was packing to move, that notebook got packed along with a stack of blank notebooks.  I thought I had separated out all of the ones that had notes in them, but apparently I missed one.**

**I know what I wanted to write for that story, but there are several plot points that I wrote down in my notes to make sure I covered in the story.  I know they were there, but I can’t remember what they were, and, like Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, “I wrote them down so I wouldn’t have to remember.”**

**What this means is that Straw, Sticks, and Bricks, and What is a Penny Worth are both going to be delayed until after I move again and am able to get all of my boxes out of storage.  The good and bad thing about moving yourself is that you know exactly where all of your stuff ends up.  The box with my notebooks is at the back of my storage space, behind hundreds of pounds of furniture and other boxes.**

**The good news is that those stories don’t have any major implications for my timeline as a whole, so they can be skipped without feeling like something is missing.  I will get to them eventually, but until then I will move on.**

**As for this one, it was an idea I came up with while browsing, in all places, through a Barnes and Noble bookstore.  It stuck out to me, and I decided to write it down.  Like all of my works, I predicted this to be about half as long.  I need to stop making predictions.  Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks for playing along.**


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